Lately in the field of an image recording material, particularly, a material for forming a color image has been prevalently used, including specifically such as an ink-jet recording material, an image recording material of heat-sensitive transcription type, a recording material using an electronic photography method, a silver halide photosensitive material of transcription type, a printing ink and a recording pen. For LCD and PDP in a display field and for electronic parts of CCD in the field of a movie camera, a color filter is used. In these color image recording materials and color filters, to reproduce or record a full-colored image, a colorant (dye and pigment) of so-called three primary colors in an additive color-mixing method or a subtractive color-mixing method is used. At present, however, a colorant having absorption characteristics to realize a desirable color-reproducing range and fastness to various conditions of use is not actually available and improvement is strongly required.
An ink-jet recording method has rapidly become prevalent and been developing further because of an inexpensive material, high-speed recording capability, low noise in recording and easy color recording. A method for ink-jet recording includes a continuous method to spray liquid droplets continuously and an on-demand method to spray liquid droplets according to an image information signal. A method for jetting the liquid droplets includes such as a method for jetting liquid droplets by pressurization using piezoelectric elements, a method for jetting liquid droplets by generation of bubbles in an ink by heating, a method for using an ultrasonic wave and a method for sucking and jetting liquid droplets by static electricity force. An ink suitable for ink-jet recording includes, for example, a water-based ink, an oil-based ink and a solid (melt type) ink.
A colorant to be used for the ink suitable for such ink-jet recording is required to have high solubility or dispersibility in a solvent, to be capable of high-concentration recording, to have good hue, to have satisfactory fastness against light, heat and an active gas (for example, an oxidizing gas such as NOx and ozone, and SOx) in the environment, to have superior fastness against water and chemicals, to have good fixation on a recording material with little blurring, to be superior in shelf life as an ink, to be free from toxicity and further to be available at a low price. In particular, such a cyan colorant has been strongly desired as has good cyan hue, along with excellent light fastness (durability to light), ozone fastness (durability to ozone gas) and moisture fastness (durability under high humidity) and free from bronze phenomenon (also called bronzing phenomenon). Bronze phenomenon means phenomenon that a colorant glares like metal chips on the surface of a glossy paper, and the like caused by colorant association or insufficient absorption of an ink. This phenomenon impairs gloss, print quality and print concentration.
Typical skeleton of a water-soluble cyan colorant to be used for an ink suitable for ink-jet recording include phthalocyanines and triphenylmethanes. A typical phthalocyanine series colorant reported and used most widely includes the following phthalocyanine derivatives classified into A to H.    A: A known phthalocyanine series colorant such as Direct Blue 86, Direct Blue 87, Direct Blue 199, Acid Blue 249 and Reactive Blue 71.    B: A phthalocyanine series colorant disclosed in JP Laid-Open No. 190273/1987 (Literature 1), JP Laid-Open No. 138511/1995 (Literature 2), JP Laid-Open No. 105349/2002 (Literature 3) and the like [for example, Cu—Pc—(SO3Na)m(SO2NH2)n: a mixture wherein m+n=1 to 4].    C: A phthalocyanine series colorant disclosed in JP Laid-Open No. 171085/1993 (Literature 4) and the like [for example, Cu—Pc—(CO2H)m(CONR1R2)n: m+n=0 to 4].    D: A phthalocyanine series colorant disclosed in JP Laid-Open No. 140063/1998 (Literature 5) and the like [for example, Cu—Pc—(SO3H)m(SO2NR1R2)n: m+n=1 to 4; and m≠0].    E: A phthalocyanine series colorant disclosed in JP Laid-Open No. 515048/1999 (Literature 6) and the like [for example, Cu—Pc—(SO3H)l(SO2NH2)m(SO2NR1R2)n: l+m+n=0 to 4].    F: A phthalocyanine series colorant disclosed in JP Laid-Open No. 22967/1984 (Literature 7) and the like [for example, Cu—Pc—(SO2NR1R2)n: n=1 to 5].    G: A phthalocyanine series colorant disclosed in JP Laid-Open No. 303009/2000 (Literature 8), JP-A-2002-249677/2002 (Literature 9) and the like [a phthalocyanine compound with substituents at controlled positions, a phthalocyanine series colorant with substituents at the β-position: On the β-position, see description at the later section].    H: A phthalocyanine series colorant having a pyridine ring disclosed in JP Laid-Open No. 34758/2003 (Literature 10) and the like.
A phthalocyanine series colorant used prevalently today and represented by Direct Blue 86 or Direct Blue 199 is characterized by having superior light fastness to a generally known magenta dye or yellow dye. A phthalocyanine series colorant gives a greenish hue under acidic conditions, and thus is not very preferable as a cyan ink. Therefore, when these dyes are used as a cyan ink, it is preferable to use them under neutral to basic conditions. However, even when an ink is used in neutral to basic conditions, a printed hue possibly undergoes a big change on an acid recording paper.
Moreover, an oxidizing gas such as a nitrogen oxide gas and ozone that is often writing up lately as an environmental issue causes the color to change to a greenish hue and to fade, and optical density of printing to deteriorate.
On the other hand, a triphenylmethane series dye is much inferior in light fastness, ozone fastness and moisture fastness although its hue is good.
With increase in application field being used in a display such as an advertisement in the future, leading to more chances of getting exposed to light and active gases in the environment, such an inexpensive colorant and ink will be more and more required as has good hue and superior fastness against light and an active gas (for example, an oxidizing gas such as NOx and ozone, and SOx) in the environment. However, it is difficult to develop such a cyan colorant (for example, phthalocyanine series colorant) and a cyan ink as satisfies these requirements at a high level. Although a phthalocyanine series colorants with active-gas fastness have been disclosed so far in the above Literatures 3 and 8 to 10 and JP Laid-Open No. 80762/2002 (Literature 11), such a cyan colorant and a cyan ink have not yet been obtained as can satisfy all qualities such as hue, light fastness, ozone fastness and moisture fastness and be produced at a low cost. Accordingly, market requirements have not yet been satisfied sufficiently.
A subject of the present invention is to solve the above conventional problems and attain the following object. Specifically, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel phthalocyanine colorant that has good hue as a cyan ink and is superior in light fastness, ozone fastness and moisture fastness, an ink suitable for an ink-jet using said phthalocyanine colorant and an ink-jet recording method.